She's your guardian angel, don't just ignore her
by Katrita
Summary: Fluffy CloTi with a plot wrapped around the couple. Denzel and Marlene have a big part to play in the bringing together of an obvious love.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I don't own Final Fantasy, obviously. This is set somewhere between the end of the game and the beginning of the movie. If something doesn't seem right, please let me know and I'll happily change it. I haven't really done an FF7 fic in a while, so I thought I'd try it. Obvious CloTi here. Not sure where the plot is going yet, but there are a few rather non-subtle hints in this chapter.

And one more thing, what do you think of the chapter length? Too long? Too short? Gonna try keep them as long as these, my usual chapters are really short, and I'm proud of this length :)

On to the story. :D

**She's your guardian angel, don't just ignore her.**

­­­­­She held the tiny flower carefully in her hands, as though she was scared she was going to break it. It was cradled gently in her palm, its petals moving slightly as the wind brushed past it. She felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to protect it and curled her fingers over the blossom to do just that. She was about to bring it closer to her chest, when suddenly a shadow fell over the flower, and she frowned, moving her fingers out of the way, not liking the ominous presence that the shadow seemed to have over the little object. However, even when she moved her fingers away, the shadow remained, covering the flower like a dark, see-through blanket.

"Tifa." His voice was calm and collected, as it always was… and yet, it sounded like music to her. The last remnants of his voice were carried away by the wind, and she immediately missed the low tones. The shadow moved, and suddenly, he was sat beside her. The small space between them suddenly seemed _too_ small. Why did she always feel like a giddy teenager when she was around him?

"Are you… alright?"

He sounded concerned. Well, she probably looked rather crazy sat here… staring at a flower like it was some sort of magnificent thing. Right at this moment, however, _everything_ was magnificent.

"I should be asking you that." Tifa turned and looked at him, tilting her head slightly as she spoke. He looked amazing in his black suit – a nice change from his usual attire. Too bad it was for such a solemn occasion… He hadn't looked at her yet. Tifa felt so much sympathy for him… but that was the last thing she'd tell him. Cloud _hated_ sympathy, especially when it was directed at him.

"Cloud." Tifa rested her free hand on his arm. "She's happy. We gave her a real funeral… we let everyone say goodbye to her. It was the least we could do."

He gave a simple nod, but didn't speak. She knew how hard it was for him – he knew he needed to let go, but just… couldn't. The funeral had been Tifa's idea, to try and help him. She'd never had a real funeral. So many people had come to say goodbye to the kind hearted woman who had given up her life for them. Tifa kept her hand on his arm, but turned her attention to the flower that was still resting on her palm. Yes… it was time to let go. She lifted her hand up, noting that the movement caught Cloud's eye, and spread her fingers. Almost immediately, the wind took hold of the small blossom, as if it had been waiting for its chance, and lifted it up. Tifa's arm dropped back to her side and they both watched the flower fly freely through the hair. She found herself with an ethereal image in her mind, of the flower sprouting angelic wings and flying to the heavens. She found herself smiling and when she turned to look at her companion, she saw happiness in his wide blue eyes. The only other time he'd looked this happy was when he'd been with _her_.

* * *

What he really wanted to do right now was go home and go to bed, but he knew that would be rude of him. He knew his friends were concerned about him, and so, when they asked him how he was doing, he _tried_ to answer them truthfully. Normally, he would just shrug and say he was fine, but he was trying… he really was. Cloud glanced up, just in time to see his closest friends being comforted by a young woman. Tifa had definitely been his rock these past few days, what would he have done without her? He looked away just as Tifa and Yuffie embraced each other – this day was special, and one he wouldn't forget anytime soon. He glanced around the bar at his friends and found himself feeling quite… serene. Which was unusual when one realised he had just come from the funeral of one of his best friends. No, Aeris deserved more than that. She wasn't just a best friend; she was more like a sister.

He still had no idea what his true feelings for that girl had been.

"Cloud?" He turned as his name was called and came face to face with the mysterious man known as Vincent. Out of respect, the gunman had ditched his usual vampiric cloak for a black suit and tie. More than once through their journey, Vincent had been the voice of reason and Cloud, surprisingly, had begun turning to him for advice. Cloud usually hated showing dependence, but Vincent had become like an older brother to him. Both had lost a lot during their lives and both had managed to cope… so far.

"Hey Vincent." Cloud forced a small smile, knowing that, out of everyone in this room, Vincent would know how he was feeling. They had all loved Aeris… but she had captured Cloud's heart.

"Time to let go yet?" Vincent's eyes were dark and hooded; one could never be too sure what he was thinking until he voiced his thoughts out loud. And when he did voice them, he was always direct, never dancing around the subject as other people did. Cloud often appreciated his complete honesty. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, watching his friend and contemplating his reply.

"Not yet. Maybe soon." Cloud finally replied, with a shake of his head. Vincent surveyed him for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders.

"You know you have to move on, and not only for your sake." He turned his head and glanced across the room. Cloud knew who he was looking at; he didn't have to follow his gaze. Vincent was looking at Cloud's childhood friend, the woman who had helped him so much. He knew of Tifa's feelings towards him – everyone seemed to know, and they appeared to be waiting for him to feel the same way. When they were younger, Cloud knew he felt the same. And he probably still did, he just had to sort his head out first… Tifa was giving him time and space to allow him to grieve, and he was grateful for that… he needed time, they all did. But he also knew he shouldn't take it for granted. Too many guys had been coming into the bar just to hit on Tifa lately, and Cloud wasn't sure how long she would keep on waiting… though she still rejected every one of them politely.

"I know. Thanks Vincent." He offered a small smile before pushing himself off the wall and walking over to where Tifa was talking quietly with Cid. Cid was very unlike his normal vulgar self, and was nodding solemnly at whatever Tifa was discussing with him, and was talking _without_ actually cursing. Cloud glanced at Cid, and then turned his gaze on Tifa, who had stopped speaking to look at him.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, a tone of concern evident in her voice. Cloud nodded.

"Yeah… I'm gonna head upstairs. That alright?"

She nodded. "Of course.

She turned back to Cid and continued her conversation, looking rather animated and yet… Cloud could see the fatigue within her chestnut eyes. She was wearing a simple black dress, with her long hair down, and kept playing with strand, curling them around her finger – something she only did when she was tired. Living with her had taught Cloud the many habits she had, and now picked up on them almost unconsciously. He wanted to tell her to come with him, that she needed some sleep… but knowing Tifa, she'd just deny the fact that she was tired and tell him to stop being silly. Looking after the kids on a daily basis took a lot out of her… but today she'd had to go through the funeral of the girl she'd considered as her sister. Had Tifa grieved for Aeris yet?

He was about to turn away and head to his room, when he was stopped by Tifa's hand on his arm. He looked back at her, the tired expression making him doubt his decision to leave her here.

"Will you do me a favour and check on Denzel and Marlene? I put them to bed a while ago."

He gave her a nod and continued on his way upstairs, now with a new mission – to check on the two children he and Tifa looked after. He climbed the stairs quietly, hoping not to wake them, and approached the room that had been taken over by the two. And he meant literally taken over. Two large beds took up the majority of the room with random toys, books and clothes in piles between the beds. They had just gathered together enough money to paint the walls, and Cloud almost smiled at the memory of that day. Marlene had wanted pink paint and Denzel had wanted blue. After a _lot_ of arguing, Tifa had suggested purple. But even with the colour chosen, the children decided that they wanted to help paint the room… Cloud swore that most of the paint had ended up on them rather than the walls… But he'd never seen Tifa have so much fun.

Cloud quickly pulled himself out of the memory and glanced over at the two sleeping forms. In the bed to his left was Marlene… Marlene was an orphan, but technically, Barret was her carer. However, Barret had since gone to find a new source of power, leaving Marlene in Tifa's care, knowing the little girl would be looked after. Marlene was sleeping peacefully, clutching one of her favourite beats – her blankets were pulled right up to her chin, Tifa's work, he was sure, and there was a slight smile on her face. Cloud almost envied her – what sort of nice dream was she having?

However, it was obvious one of the kids wasn't having a nice dream. A whimper from Denzel's bed brought Cloud straight to his side. He was asleep, but constantly tossing and turning. His blankets had been thrown to one side, and his eyes were squeezed shut. Cloud swore he could almost see tears… should he go get Tifa? How did she help the children when they were having nightmares? He was about to turn and go back downstairs, when all of a sudden, Denzel shot up in his bed, his eyes wide open, his body frozen.

"C-Cloud?" His voice was full of fear, and he soon began shaking. Had this happened to Denzel before? Surely Tifa would have told him about it?"

"It's alright Denzel, it was just a nightmare." Cloud moved closer to the bed, hoping to calm Denzel down and half-hoping that Tifa would come upstairs… "It wasn't real."

Denzel turned his bright green eyes on the man he had looked up to since meeting him and shook his head slowly. "It _was_ real." He leaned forward, as if letting Cloud in on some big secret and whispered quietly, "I saw the end of the world."

* * *

She didn't remember walking upstairs, nor did she remember getting to her bed. But she found herself lying across it, fully clothed, and too exhausted to crawl under the blankets. She knew she couldn't just go to sleep here – but perhaps she could take a nap, get some strength back, and then get ready for bed properly. She'd be able to check on the kids then too…

Tifa didn't even finish her last thought as her eyes began to close and she welcomed the world of darkness… that was until she entered the land of dreams, and saw two familiar figures stood in front of her.

"_Hey Teef." The woman said, giving her an impish grin. "Thought we'd come and say hello… and thanks." _

_She was as beautiful as ever, her perfect features flawless and untouched… her chestnut hair pulled back into a ridiculously long braid, one curl on either side of her face, and her pretty green eyes, always happy and cheerful… Tifa shuddered. Perhaps not _always_. She'd seen Aeris' eyes when Sephiroth's sword had gone through her – they'd been completely dry of life. Why couldn't she get that image out of her head? She turned from the pretty angel to the guy who stood beside her, equally ethereal, and yet with a very real grin. His was almost as mischievous as hers. _

"_Yeah… except where was my funeral?" Zack suddenly cried, throwing his arms up as if the whole world was against him. Tifa just smiled and shook her head. _

"_I think the funeral was probably for you, too. In Cloud's eyes, at least." She said. Zack looked thoughtful for a moment, and nodded._

"_You're right. I heard my name mentioned a couple of times in his head." His eyes shone slightly. "And yours, Teef. You got a secret fancy for me or something?"_

_Her look of horror was enough to set both Aeris and Zack off laughing, and Tifa immediately began to blush, looking down at her feet. _

"_Hey Teef…" At Aeris' voice, Tifa glanced up at her friend, suddenly glad that the two had decided to come into her dream. She had been wondering how they felt about the funeral she had held… though she could guess Aeris' reaction already. "Can you tell everyone to stop being sad now?"_

_She smiled – really, only Aeris would say something like that… but she understood. People needed time to grieve, but Aeris would much rather see her friends having fun. She gave a small nod to the woman._

"_Oh, and tell Cloud to quit moping!" Zack added, and Aeris hit his arm._

"_Zack! That's not fair!"_

"_Well, he does need to quit moping. He has two kids and a gorgeous woman to look after, and if he's not careful, he's gonna lose the best thing he ever had!"_

_Aeris rolled her eyes, but before Tifa could protest that none of them would ever leave Cloud, the angel in pink spoke. "Just be patient with Cloud… he's gonna have to snap out of it soon… oh, and look after those kids, okay?"_

"_And if you ever need to talk to us, just come to the church. Now we have to go – you have company." Zack smiled._

"_But I suggest you keep your eyes closed."_ Aeris' wink was the last thing Tifa saw as her friends faded away and she was pulled back to reality.

* * *

He gazed over to the bed, where Tifa was sprawled out on top of the blankets, fully clothed. Well, now she couldn't deny the fact she'd been tired. He leant against the door, watching her for a while, and trying to decide whether to leave her or wake her up. After a few moments of indecision, he walked to the bed and placed one arm under her knees, and one under arms, before slowly lifting her up. Cloud glanced down at her sleeping form, wondering what she was dreaming of. Whatever it was made her smile.

He slowly put her back down on the bed, resting her head on the pillows and then reaching down to pull her shoes off. Finally, he lifted the blankets and covered her with them, like he had seen her do with the children many times before. He let out the breath he had been holding and stepped away, glad to see that she hadn't woken up. And with that completely, he turned and left the room, unaware of Tifa's gaze on his back as he exited the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I meant to get this chapter up a lot sooner than this… sorry about that guys. Here it is, though, perhaps not as good as my first chapter. Comments anyone?

**Chapter 2**

He was woken by a loud creak just outside his bedroom door, and though he made an attempt to go back to sleep, he knew it was in vain. Lately, Marlene and Denzel had found a new source of amusement in the mornings – him. They would try and sneak into his bedroom without waking up, and though they had never succeeded, they just wouldn't give up. Tifa had caught them in the act a few times, and those times, Cloud had been saved from their wake up call. But as he heard his bedroom door creak open slowly, he knew he wouldn't be saved by Tifa today. A giggle came from his doorway, but Cloud continued to feign sleep.

"Is he still asleep?" Marlene whispered, close to Cloud's bed. Cloud smiled, facing away from the two and silently deliberating when to make his move. He wanted them to think that he was still asleep and then catch them at the best possible moment, and perhaps make sure they never woke him up again.

"I know!" Denzel whispered excitably. "Let's find his swords!"

At this, Cloud's eyes snapped wide open and he quickly rolled over, grabbing the child who was closest to him. When he heard a loud squeal, he realised he'd caught Marlene, and held onto her as she tried to get free.

"Denzel! Help me Denzel!" Marlene cried, but before Denzel could move, Cloud pulled Marlene back onto the bed and under the blankets. She stared up at him with wide eyes filled with mischief, before shouting as loud as she possible could. "I've been eaten Denzel! Run before he gets you too!"

Eaten? Child couldn't help but chuckle – without these two around, he would never smile or laugh this much. A year ago, he had been serious, moping around with a frown on his face… and look at him now, 'eating' the bright young girl. When Marlene let out a giggle, Cloud raised his hand and suddenly began to tickle her, knowing that this was the girl's biggest weakness. Marlene let out a gap and burst out into a fit of breathless laughter, squirming and trying to get away. When Marlene was finally able to throw the blankets back and jump off the bed, she ended up running into a very amused, yet surprised Tifa.

* * *

She could hardly believe what she was seeing – Denzel had come running downstairs, laughing loudly and shouting something about how Cloud had captured and eaten Marlene. Curious, Tifa had made her way upstairs to Cloud's room and had been standing in the doorway when Marlene had managed to escape. But before that, when she had heard Cloud's laughter mixed with Marlene's, she had been… surprised, to say the least. So surprised that she hadn't moved out of the way quick enough when Marlene had run to the doorway. The little girl had collided with Tifa's legs, sending a jolt of pain from her feet as Marlene pushed past her and continued to run downstairs, laughing and shouting Denzel's name. Tifa watched the little girl, shaking her head slightly.

"Did she hurt you?" She turned at Cloud's questions, surprised to hear the concern and perhaps even more surprised to _see_ the concern in his blue eyes. Tifa couldn't help a small smile crossing her face and folded her arms, giving Cloud a stern, yet amused look.

"No. She didn't. Now, what's all this about eating Marlene…?"

Cloud lifted his arm and rubbed the back of his neck, looking rather sheepish. "Well, erm… they tried sneaking it again… maybe they'll think twice about it next time?"

It was amazing how much two little children could change the lives of two people. Since Denzel and Marlene had come into their lives, Tifa and Cloud had smiled… laughed… and just generally had _fun_. The kids tired Tifa out almost daily, but she wouldn't change them for the world. She couldn't imagine life without them anymore. Besides, without them, what would Cloud laugh about?

"Well, I'm about to open up the bar, so go and make sure they behave themselves."

* * *

He watched her leave, noting the slight limp as she walked downstairs. Marlene wasn't exactly heavy, but she had run out of the room at some speed, standing on Tifa's feet as she did so. But Tifa was a lot stronger than that, just look at the things she had gone through last year. She had surprised everyone with her fighting skills… she hadn't needed a hero; she had been able to look after herself. _And_ she didn't need a weapon to do that, either. Cloud glanced back at his bed and sighed slightly – looked as though this was going to be another early morning. He couldn't really complain, every morning was an early morning for Tifa – she got up this early to open the bar, though who would drink at this hour, Cloud didn't know.

Tifa's bar was the main source of income for the family, but the Strife Delivery Service also brought small amounts of money in. Customers would ring Tifa, and she'd pass the note onto Cloud, who would then go and pick up whatever needed delivering and deliver it. It was unsafe outside of the towns and villages, and many families had split up, but still wanted to keep in contact with each other. Cloud was able to send packages and letters back and forth between the families – he could look after himself between the towns, he had the swords, and he had the experience.

Besides, if it stopped other people getting hurt, it couldn't be bad, right?

The only time it _was_ bad, was when his job took him away from the bar for nights at a time… he'd often have to pay out for a room to spend the night in… or, if he was desperate and miles away from the nearest inn, he sometimes slept outside, but he wouldn't tell Tifa that. She'd tell him to quit, but he couldn't do that. Who would deliver things then?

From saviour of the world to delivery boy… it was a huge jump, but made for personal reasons.

He gave one last longing glance to his bed before grabbing a pair of pants and a black t shirt and pulling them on. He'd have to get a wash later, when he was sure Marlene and Denzel weren't going to tear the house down while Tifa was serving people their much-needed drinks.

He was just about to wonder why it was suddenly so quiet, when there was a crash and a cry coming from downstairs. Cloud didn't stay still long enough to comprehend _who_ had let out a cry, but ran downstairs as quickly as he possibly could, almost tripping over himself a couple of times before he reached the bottom. What sort of mess had Denzel and Marlene caused now? However, even as this thought crossed his mind, Cloud caught sight of the two children sitting at the kitchen table, their eyes wide, yet innocent. There was no mess around them, no broken glasses, no…

Broken glasses? That's _exactly_ what the crash had sounded like. Cloud quickly turned, making for the bar, where he could now hear a few muttered curses and a hiss of pain. As he turned the corner and entered the bar, he saw that it was completely empty… okay, that meant that nobody had hurt her, but… his turned his gaze behind the bar, where Tifa stood, clenching her fist and biting her lip. A small trickle of blood was running down her arm, not enough to cause panic but…

_She's hurt…_

He quickly moved around behind the bar and saw the cause of Tifa's accident – a glass lay shattered in pieces on the floor. But usually she was so careful? She glanced up at him with anger in her chestnut eyes and Cloud almost flinched… _almost_.

"What happened?" He asked, reaching out for her injured hand. At first she seemed reluctant to let him see, but when he gently took her hand and opened it, she didn't pull it away. A red gash lay in her palm, the source of the blood and pain. It didn't look too deep, but it was about three inches long and obviously hurting like hell. But Tifa was trying to take it, she was trying her hardest to hide the fact she was in pain – but why? Cloud had seen her in pain many times before… he'd hated every single one, and this was no different.

"I don't know." Tifa finally said, taking a deep breath and appearing to look anywhere but the cut on her hand. "There must have been a chip in it or something… it caught my hand and then I dropped the glass."

Cloud glanced back down at her palm and shook his head. Could a chip in a glass really cause this? "Well, it needs washing." And with that, he gently guided Tifa back towards the kitchen, where Marlene and Denzel still sat at the table, looking rather pale. Tifa tried to give them a reassuring smile, but even they could tell she was in pain.

"What's wrong?" Denzel asked, standing up from the table. His eyes were on the blood coming down Tifa's arm, and Marlene remained silent.

"Nothing, Tifa just cut herself on a glass… she wasn't careful enough." Cloud threw him a smile and this seemed to be enough for the children as they went back to eating the breakfasts that Tifa had prepared for them just a few minutes ago. Cloud took Tifa to the sink in the kitchen and held her hand under it before turning on the cold water. This time, Tifa couldn't suppress the hiss of pain and attempted to pull her hand back, but Cloud wouldn't let her. The only reason he knew what to do was because he had seen Tifa help Denzel and Marlene so many times, when they had cut themselves or fallen over.

He quickly noticed that Tifa was staring at him. "What?" He asked, turning his attention back to her hand.

* * *

She dropped her head, blushing slightly. "Oh, nothing…" She mumbled, and Cloud didn't question her further. She glanced at her hand as the pink water continued to fall. It hadn't stopped bleeding yet, but it was looking a lot better than it had before. Cloud had never dealt with the kid's injuries before… well; maybe he should start now that he knew what to do. When the pink water started to turn a little clearer, Cloud guided her hand from under the tap and gently dried it, being so careful… and then got out the first aid box and began to wrap a bandage expertly round her hand.

She smiled when he had finished, glancing up at him gratefully. He caught her looking again, but didn't question her this time, standing up and moving away instead. "I'm gonna go clean up the glass." He explained and walked back into the bar to do just that. Tifa looked down at her bandaged hand before cradling it gently against her other arm. It looked as though she was gonna have to be careful today. How was she supposed to give her customers drinks with only one hand?

"You okay Tifa?"

Marlene's voice drew her gaze away from her hand and she gave a small smile to the concerned young girl. Marlene had already started looking after Denzel whenever he got hurt (which was very frequent lately) and had developed a very caring personality, which Tifa was glad for, because Denzel often hurt himself while just playing around outside, and now, Marlene knew what to do if he injured himself. Except now it was _Tifa_ getting the injury. What was she going to do now? She couldn't serve the customers one-handed!

Cloud chose this point to walk back into the kitchen, a small plastic bag in his hands, obviously containing the glass he had just cleaned up, he gave Tifa a fleeting glance, filled with concern before dropping the bag of glass into the bin.

"I'll take care of the bar today." He finally said, turning around and facing Tifa, looking rather thoughtful.

"But, what about the Delivery Service?" Tifa questioned, still holding her hand carefully.

"If anyone calls, just tell them it will have to wait for a couple of days, I'm sure they won't mind… the bar's our main source of money, Tifa, we can't afford to close down for a few days just because I'm busy with deliveries."

Oh. So that was it, he was worried about the money… well, of course, he was making sense. The bar made more money than his deliveries, so it was the deliveries that would have to close down for now. Cloud would be behind the bar… and where did that leave her? Looking after the kids? Well, she hadn't spent much time with the children lately; perhaps this would do her good… even if she was itching to get back behind the bar again…

"Yeah! Tifa can play with us!!" Denzel cried, immediately looking happy at the idea. Tifa turned and gave him a small smile – perhaps she'd been neglecting the kids more than she thought.

"Can we make _cookies_?!" Marlene suddenly shouted, catching everyone by surprise. But before Tifa could answer, Denzel threw his reply towards her.

"No way, cookies are for _girls_, let's play monsters!"

"Fine." Marlene pouted. "But I'm not being the monster, I was it last time."

Both children turned avid grins in Tifa's direction, who let out a sigh and sent a mock glare towards Cloud, who seemed to be finding the situation highly amusing. At her glare however, he promptly made his way back into the bar to tend to some non-existent customers. Tifa turned her gaze back on the two excited children before her.

"Fine then… how do we play monsters?"


End file.
